StretchLearn Course

Pull balanced espresso and pour clean latte art at home

A complete beginner workflow built on the ratios, milk texture, and pours real baristas use

Beginner10 hrSelf PacedRegistered

Course Overview

What this course is designed to develop

This course teaches the cause-and-effect behind a good cup rather than a set of memorised recipes, so you can diagnose and fix a drink instead of guessing. You will learn the espresso variables that actually matter (dose, yield, time, and grind) and how to dial a shot to a target ratio around 1:2 in roughly 25 to 30 seconds, taste it on the sour-bitter axis, and adjust grind to correct it. You will steam milk in two phases, stretching then texturing, to build the smooth, wet, reflective microfoam latte art needs, then pour a heart, a rosetta, and a tulip by controlling height, flow, and the finishing cut, and rescue a flat or off-centre pour with a simple etched design. By the end you can produce a balanced shot and a clean poured pattern on demand, and explain exactly what to change when one comes out wrong.

Learning Outcomes

What the learner should be able to understand, build, or execute.

Dose, distribute, and tamp espresso by weight to produce an even puck and repeatable extractions

Dial in a shot to a target brew ratio and time, then taste and adjust grind to correct a sour or bitter result

Steam whole milk in a stretch-then-texture sequence to make glossy, paint-textured microfoam

Pour a contrasting heart by controlling pour height, flow rate, and the finishing cut-through

Pour a rosetta and a layered tulip by adding wiggle and successive pulses on a properly textured base

Etch a recovery design when a free pour fails, and keep a dial-in log so good drinks repeat

Curriculum Preview

Inside the curriculum: a structured path from fundamentals to execution.

Preview the course structure, see how the modules build on one another, and understand the path this program is designed to take you through.

Module 1

Module 1: Espresso Foundations: The Four Variables and a Repeatable Shot

Before any milk touches a cup, you need an espresso worth pouring into. This module replaces guesswork with the four levers that govern every shot and the simple by-weight routine that makes them repeatable.

3 lessons

Dose, yield, time, grind: the only four leversContent · 45 min

Preview Enabled

Brew ratio and shot time: the dial-in targetContent · 50 min

LMS Access

Puck prep: grind, distribute, tamp, and reading the pourContent · 50 min

LMS Access

Module 2

Module 2: Milk Science and Steaming: Building True Microfoam

Latte art lives or dies on milk texture. This module covers what makes milk foam, the two-phase steaming sequence, and how to recognise and pour the glossy microfoam that art requires.

3 lessons

How milk foams: proteins, fat, and temperatureContent · 45 min

LMS Access

The two-phase steam: stretch then textureContent · 55 min

LMS Access

Reading texture and fixing milk faultsContent · 45 min

LMS Access

Module 3

Module 3: Free Pour: Heart, Rosetta, and Tulip

With a good shot and silky milk, this module builds the three foundational free-pour patterns in order of difficulty, teaching the height, flow, and finishing moves each one needs.

3 lessons

Pour mechanics and the heartContent · 55 min

LMS Access

The rosettaContent · 55 min

LMS Access

The tulipContent · 55 min

LMS Access

Module 4

Module 4: Etching, Recovery, and a Repeatable Routine

Free pours fail, especially early. This module covers etched designs as a recovery and creative tool, a checklist for diagnosing bad cups, and the logging routine that turns lucky drinks into repeatable ones.

3 lessons

Etching: drawing on the surfaceContent · 45 min

LMS Access

Diagnosing the whole drink: a fault checklistContent · 50 min

LMS Access

The dial-in log and a practice routineContent · 50 min

LMS Access

Built for Application

A complete learning path, not a one-off inspiration hit.

This program is designed around progression: focused lessons, structured modules, applied resources, assessments, and a course rhythm that turns information into usable capability.

latte artespressomilk steamingmicrofoamfree pourrosettabarista skillscoffee